Combined ironing board and seat assembly



Aug. 12, 1952 c. E. BUHR ET AL COMBINED momma BOARD AND SEAT ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 1, 1948 TORS.

IOSSIG Patented Aug. 12, 1952 OFFICE Y COMBINED 'IRONING BOARD AND SEAT ASSEMBLY Claire E. Buhr and Donelson Gafiery Glassie, Washington, D. C.

. Application December 1, 1948, Serial No. 62,944

12 Claims.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in an ironing device and more particularly to such improvements in a combined ironing board and seat assembly.

In general, the invention contemplates the provision of a supporting base .common to both the ironing board and the seat and arranged so that maximum stability is afforded under the combined weight of the occupant of the seat andthe pressure applied to the board while ironing.

Another object of the invention is to provide an assembly of the above type wherein both the relative heights of the seat and that of the board may be adjusted to accommodate persons of different statures in proper position for maximum efficiency in the ironing operation with minimum fatigue.

Another object of the invention is to provide an assembly'of the above type wherein the ironing board is mounted on the base for turning movement whereby to bring either end toward the operator and to thus facilitate the ironing or application of material at either end.

'A further object of the invention is to provide an assembly of the above type wherein both the seat and ironing board are mounted on the base for turning movement so that the seated operator can squarely face either endportion of the board with resultant elimination of body fatigue.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an assembly of the above type having means permitting turning movement of the seat and board in unison and in the same direction whereby the operator can effect simultaneous adjustment of his or herposition relative to the end portions of the board.

The invention also aims to providea combined ironing board and seat assembly which enables the operator to perform all the normal ironing operations without standing or otherwise moving about so as to reduce normally resultant body fatigue to a minimum.

The invention still further aims to provide 'a combined ironing board and seat assembly substantially of the above type which is of relatively simple construction to facilitate inexpensive manufacture and assembly thereof, and which is thoroughly reliable .and eflicient in" use.

The above and other objects of the invention willin part be obvious and will be hereinafter more fully pointed out.

In the accompanyingdrawing wherein like -nu- 'merals of reference refer to 'likeparts throughout the views:

Figure 1 is a side view, partly in vertical section, showing the assembled seat and ironing board; and

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1 but additionally illustrating in dot-dash lines the permissive turning and relative positioning of the seat and ironing board. 0

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawi g, the assembly is illustrated as including a base member ID having an upper cover or foot rest portion l2 which terminates in a depending substantially peripheral flange 14 adapted to rest on the floor or other supporting surface. Suitable bearing brackets I6, lfia extend across opposed side flanges of the base and are suitably secured thereto as by Welding or the like. Centrally between the ends of the bearing brackets 16 16a. there are mounted-thrust bearings or supports 18. NM, respectively, which may be plain or antifriction bearings as desired. These bearings are fixedly supported by the bearin brackets in any suitable manner. The cover portion I2 of the base member I0 is apertured above the depending flanges 20, 20a to receive bearing sleeves 22 22a, respectively, which are suitably secured therein. .Obviously, these bearing sleevesmay take the form of roller or ball bearing antifriction' elements if desired.

A-forwardly disposed vertically-extending shaft '24 extends through the front bearing sleeve 22 and rests in the thrust bearing socket 18. -Intermediate the bearings I8, 22, the shaft 24 has k yed thereto a pulley 26. A rearwa dl is osed and vertically extending shaft 24a extends through the bearing sleeve 22a. and into the socket bearing [8a. and has .a pulley 26a keyed thereto intermediate the bearings. .A belt :25 is trained around the pulleysZE, 26a so as to efiect turning .movement thereof in unison andiin. the same direction. Obviously a sprocket and bhain connection may be substituted for the belt and pulleyconnection if so desired.

The forward vertical shaft 24 is adapted to carry a sleeve 30 which telescopes over the shaft and is provided with a pluralityof sets of transversely aligned openings 32. Theseopenings are adapted to be aligned with-a selected one of a series of transverse openings 34 extending through the shaft 24 so as -to receive a locking pin 36 which serves to maintain thesleeve 30' and shaft 24 in any selected positionof relative ad- 'justment in overall height. The upper end of the sleeve 30 supports an ironing board "3810) means of an annular bracket 40 s cured to th unders ds thereof .in aesuitablemanneri'lfhelirpninsibo is of conventional configuration and may be formed of wood, aluminum, or other suitable material but with primary consideration given to lightness in weight consistent with necessary strength.

The vertical shaft 24a also carries a sleeve 30a which telescopes thereover and which is provided with sets of transversely aligned openings 32a. These openings are adapted to be aligned with any selected one of a number of transverse openings 34a extending through the shaft 24a so as to receive a locking pin 36a which serves to maintain the shaft and sleeve in any predetermined position of relative adjustment. An annular bracket 42 is press fitted, or otherwise suitably secured, to the upper end of the sleeve 30a and is suitably secured to the under face of a seat 44. The seat is provided with an upstanding strap 46 which carries a back supporting portion 48.

In operation and with the foregoing description in mind, it will be seen that in using the ironing board assembly the operator seats himself on the chair with his feet resting on the platform portion l2 of the supporting base. Relative adjustment of the seat 44 and the board 38 is effected to suit the requirements of the particular operator. Optimum efficiency in use and with minimum fatigue to the operator will, of course, depend upon the particular user, but best results generally are obtained by relatively adjusting the seat and board so that the back of the operator, when seated, will rest comfortably against the seat back 48 with the legs extended to the base I2. The height of the board 38 should be relatively low and such that the operators arm carrying the iron extends abruptly downwardly for maximum application of pressure thereto primarily through weight of the operator'leaning thereon, rather than through muscular exertion. In other words, the adjustment of the seat and board should be such that the seated position of the operator will approach the standing position normally assumed in ironing, for maximum efficiency.

However, it is to be noted that the operator is at all times seated and need not stand or walk from one end of the board to the other. Thus, still while seated, the operator may bring the narrow end portion 38a of the board toward the body as shown by the dot-dash lines of Figure 2, or, obviously, the wider end portion 38b of the board may be brought toward the body. In either case, it will be seen that the pulley and belt connections between the shafts 24, 24a, effects movement of both the seat assembly and the board in unison and in the same direction. The adjacent transverse edges of the seat and the board remain substantially parallel in all positions of adjustment so that the body of the operator is always directly facing the board. This obviates the necessity for the operator to twist or turn in the seat when ironing at either end of the board or applying material thereto to be ironed. The base l affords a stable support for the combined assembly and the weight of the operator on the seat, in addition to the pressure applied to the ironing board while ironing, serve to further stabilize the assembly by increasing the weight on the base.

From the foregoing description, it will be appreciated that the present invention provides an efficient and serviceable combination of an ironing board and seat with both conveniently supported on a common base. The assembly is simple in construction and easy to operate.

While one form of the invention has been shown and described for purposes of illustration, it is to be clearly understood that various changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be accomplished without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An ironing assembly comprising an ironing board, a seat spaced therefrom, supporting means common to both said seat and said board and including vertical pivotal mountings for said seat and said board and housing means between said pivotal mountings, and means within said housing means for interconnecting said seat and said board to effect horizontal turning movement thereof in unison and in the same direction whereby either end of the board may approach the seat.

2. An ironing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said interconnecting means includes a pair of rotatable elements, one associated with the board and the other associated with the seat, and means connecting said rotatable elements for movement in unison.

3. An ironing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interconnecting means includes pulley and belt connections between said seat and said board for effecting turning movement thereof together.

4. An ironing assembly comprising a base member having depending peripheral flanges defining a chamber, a pair of upright standards rotatably mounted on said base and extending into said chamber, a rotatable wheel carried by each of said standards within said chamber, flexible means connecting said wheels to effect rotation of said standards in unison, an ironing board carried at the upper end of one of said standards, and a seat carried at the upper end of the other of said standards.

5. An ironing assembly comprising a base member having depending peripheral flanges defining a chamber, a pair of upright standards rotatably mounted on said base member and extending into said chamber, means disposed within said chamber and providing a driving interconnection between said standards to effect rotation thereof in unison, an ironing board carried at the upper end of one of said standards, and a seat carried at the upper end of the other said standard.

6. An ironing assembly comprising a base member providing a chamber, a pair of upright standards rotatably mounted on said base member and extending into said chamber, an ironing board carried at the upper end of one of said standards, a seat carried at the upper end of the other of said standards, and means disposed within said chamber and providing a driving interconnection between said standards to effect rotation thereof and the seat and ironing board in unison.

7. An ironing assembly comprising an ironing board, a seat disposed substantially centrally between the ends of said board in spaced operative ironing position relative to the central portion thereof, supporting means for both said seat and said board and including a vertical pivotal support for the seat and a vertical pivotal support for the central portion of the board permitting either end thereof to be rotated into operative ironing position with respect to said seat, and means providing a driving connection between the pivotal supports for the seat and board whereby to effect pivotal movement thereof in unison.

8. A unitary combined ironing board and seat assembly comprising an elongated supporting base, an elongated ironing board pivotally mounted substantially centrally thereof on said base for horizontal rotation and normally extending generally transversely thereof, a seat mounted on said base substantially midway between the ends of said board in its normal position and in spaced operative ironing position with respect thereto, and means providing a drive connection between the board and seat whereby horizontal turning of the board will position either end thereof in operative ironing position with respect to said seat.

9. A combined ironing board and seat assembly comprising an elongated ironing board and a seat normally relatively positioned substantially midway between the ends thereof, supporting means maintaining both said board and seat in operative ironing positions, and means providing a drive connection between said seat and said board for effecting relative horizontal movement therebetween such that the seat and either end of the board may be adjacently positioned in operative ironing position upon selective relative movement therebetween.

10. In combination with an elongated supporting base, an elongated support member in the form of an ironing board substantially centrally supported transversely of said base adjacent one end thereof for horizontal rotation, a seat pivotally mounted on said base in spaced operative ironing position with respect to the board and substantially centrally between the ends thereof, and means providing a drive connection between the seat and board whereby the board may be rotated to bring either end thereof to operative ironing position relative to the seat. I

11. The combination as claimed in claim 10, wherein the opposite ends of said board project beyond the central support therefor a distance such that the longitudinal axis of the board at either end thereof will approach and extend across and in front of the seat during normal positions for ironing at the ends of the board.

12. A combined ironing board and seat assembly comprising a supporting base, an elongated ironing board substantially centrally supported transversely of said base adjacent one end thereof for horizontal rotation, a seat mounted on said base in spaced operative ironing position with respect to the board and substantially centrally between the ends thereof when the board is in normal position extending transversely of said base, the opposite ends of said board projecting beyond the central support therefor a distance such that the longitudinal axis of the board at either end thereof will approach the seat during normal positions for ironing at the ends of the board, and means operative to afford a mutually interconnecting drive association between the seat and the board to efiect relative rotation therebetween as desired.

CLAIRE E. BUHR. DONELSON CAFFERY GLASSIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 367,037 Gough et al July 26, 1887 677,195 Frederick June 25, 1901 1,298,216 Jenkins Mar. 25, 1919 1,606,874 Gorczynski Nov. 16, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 374,194 Great Britain June 9, 1932 

